of london



F. H. PAGE. I

BALANCED AILERON AND PIVOTED CONTROL FOR AIRCRAFT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 26, 1919.

Patented Oct. 28, 1919.

FWQL 87 6 M11 UNITED STATES PATENT OF FREDERICK HANDLEY PAGE, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO HANDLEY PAGE LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND,

BALANCED ,AILERON AND PIVOTED CONTROL FOR AIRCRAFT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 28, 1919.

Application filed May 26, 1919. Serial No. 300,003.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK HANDLEY PAGE, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Balanced Aileron and Pivoted Controls for Aircraft, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates'to improvements in ailerons, elevators and rudders (hereinafter termed ailerons) of aircraft.

Ailerons have previously been balanced at the point near the center of pressure in order to reduce the controlling efio-rt'require'd to be exerted by the pilot. i

According to this invention ailerons ar employed which are balanced near their center of pressure, and which are mounted behind fixed wings in such. a manner'that the after edge of the wing completely shrouds the forward edge of the ailerons,

so as to prevent the air traveling over the upper surface of the Wing being diverted to the lower surface of the-aileron, and the air traveling over the under surface of the wing being diverted to the upper surface of the aileron.

' To carry out this condition it is neces sary for the after edge of the'wing in front of the aileron to be of substantial thickness so that it may shroudf the leading-edge of the aileron during its movements of angular adjustment up and downdue to the rise and fall of the leading edge, byreason of the aileron being pivoted on an axis situated some distance behind its leading edge.

In applying the invention to multiple wings, as for instance biplanes having upper and lower wingsand in box tails when the fixed wings are superposed, the ailerons are operated by kingposts projecting inward, the upper aileron having .its kingpost projecting downward and the lower aileron having its kingpost projecting upward. In suchan arrangement the kingposts are operated by control cables and an interconnection such -as wires or connecting rods is provided for causing both ailerons to move in unison. This enables one cable to move both aileron in one direction and the other cable to move both ailerons in the opposite direction.

described with reference to the accompanym drawing which shows diagrammatically at Figures 1 and 2 the application of the in vention to the ailerons on the wings of a biplane, in elevation and plan view respectively. r

The wings l, 2 of a biplane are shown by way of example carried on interplane struts 3. These WlIlgS are cut away at i in the usual manner to receive the aileron control surfaces 5 and 6. These surfaces are hinged at 7 and 8 respectively so that portions 9 and 10 of these control surfaces project be- -yand the pivotal axis, and serve therefore to balance the control surfaces about the pivotal axes 7 and 8, whereby the effort of operation of these control surfaces, which is particularly important in aircraft of large dimensions, is reduced. These parts 9 and 10 are as shown curved or tapered, so that their leading edges 14 and 15 respectively never project into the airstream, but are the wings 1 and 2 ahead of them.

The ailerons 5 and 6 are connected by awire or rod 16 and are provided with kingposts 11 and 12 which, according to the present invention, are both arranged to project inward toward one another. These kingposts are adapted to support the usual control cables 13. p

Q. What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. An aircraft having in combination, wings and balanced ailerons, said wings having trailing edges immediately in front of said balanced ailerons of a thickness equal to the maximum are described by the leading edge of said ailerons, substantially as set forth. L

2. In aircraft, the combination of balanced ailerons having tapered leading edges, and wings in which the trailing edge immediately constantly shrouded by the trailing edge of in front of said ailerons is of uflicient thicktion said ailerons may be set, substantially will move in unison when either aileron is 10 as set forth. operated through its cable and kingpost.

3. Aircraft with multipl wings having In Witness whereof I have hereunto set balanced ailerons, as i311 claim 2, gire? conmy hand in the presence of two witnesses. necting the leading e ges of sai ai erons T and a kingpost mounted on each of said FREDERICK HANDLE1 PAGE ailerons said kingposts projecting inward Witnesses: toward the opposite ailerons and cables con- GRIFFITH BREWER, nected to said kingposts so that said ailerons CYRIL GRIFFITH BREWER. 

